Guard Sinks Rescued Haitians` Boat

Its mission completed, the sinking wooden boat that transported 106 Haitians from the Caribbean to within miles of Boynton Beach was sunk by the Coast Guard on Saturday.

The 57-foot leaking structure, christened My Friend, brought the refugees through the 500-mile crossing before taking on water and running out of fuel. Its passengers included three pregnant women and 16 children.

The Haitians, who had not eaten in five days, were doing well, Coast Guard officials said.

``The boat was unseaworthy. We couldn`t just set it adrift because it would be a hazard to (other boat`s) navigation,`` said Coast Guard Lt. Todd Turner. ``That was a bad situation.``

Turner said the weatherbeaten boat was taken 40 miles off the coast of West Palm Beach, then riddled with bullet holes in the hull and the deck to sink it. Fed and dried off, the Haitains are being interviewed aboard the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service agents to determine whether any are eligible for political asylum.

It will take about two days to interview the 106 refugees, INS officials said.

Haitian refugees are routinely turned away from the United States when they are intercepted on the high seas. Since 1981, 21,919 Haitians have been intercepted.